(A/N: wake up babe, a banger has just dropped.
Do I need to create discord or nah? That's like so much work for my lazy ahh)
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Clap— Clap— Clap—
A sharp, slow clap echoed through the courtyard.
Maki paused mid-swing, her grip tightening around the wooden staff as the sound of approaching footsteps filled the air. She didn't turn around immediately. She didn't need to because she already knew who it was.
It was none other than the biggest misogynist of this clan—Naoya Zenin.
"Still wasting your time, huh?" Naoya's voice carried the same smugness it always did, laced with something that made it unbearable to hear.
Maki finally turned to face him.
He stood at the edge of the training grounds, arms folded over his chest, wearing the same condescending smirk he always had when looking at her like trash.
"You're still at this level? How pathetic." He scoffed, eyes scanning her from head to toe with blatant disdain.
"Swinging that stick around like it's going to change anything. Like it's going to make you any less useless. Why don't you just accept your fate and have an offspring like a normal woman?"
Maki's eyes twitched in annoyance as she bit down on her lips hard to endure those harsh words. But at last, she couldn't voice her frustration because here at the clan that valued Cursed Technique the most, she had none.
She could only clench her fist hard while listening to those sickening words uttered by that disgusting man in silence. It was so unfair.
Naoya took a slow step forward, as if savoring the moment. "It's honestly embarrassing. Watching you flail around like this. You're trying so hard, but it won't matter. No amount of training is going to change the fact that you're a failure of the clan."
Silence.
The weight of his words hung in the air, waiting to be acknowledged. Maki simply stood there, gripping her weapon, glaring at Naoya with anger simmering in her eyes.
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Veilhem's eyes flicked between them, his expression unreadable beneath the helm. Makima, however, merely watched with mild interest, as if waiting to see how this would play out.
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Seeing her stiffness, Naoya grinned, clearly entertained by her lack of response. "What? Nothing to say?"
He leaned in slightly, his face wore an expression like he had just stepped on dung. "Or do you finally get it? No matter how much effort you put in, you'll never be one of us. You'll never be strong enough, fast enough, good enough. You'll always be—"
Maki moved. She lost it.
The wooden staff lashed out in a sharp, decisive strike, aiming straight for his throat with no hesitation.
But Naoya caught it.
His hand shot up, fingers closing around the wood just before impact. A sharp crack echoed through the courtyard as the force of the strike sent a shudder up both their arms.
"Trash. You actually thought that would land?" His smirk widened.
His grip tightened. With a sharp yank, he wrenched the staff from her grasp and tossed it aside. It clattered against the stone floor.
Maki didn't flinch.
The moment her staff left her hands, she pivoted, twisting into a sharp kick aimed at Naoya's ribs. It was fast, controlled, and meant to punish the opening he left after tossing her weapon aside.
But he already saw it coming.
Naoya sidestepped effortlessly, his hand catching her ankle mid-strike. His grip was like iron, stopping her momentum dead in its tracks.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue as he yanked her off balance.
Maki barely had time to brace herself before she was sent sprawling onto the dirt. She hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact before pushing herself up onto one knee. Her body burned from the sudden shift, but she forced herself to move.
Before she could fully regain her footing, Naoya was already there.
He closed the distance in a blink, delivering a brutal palm strike to her shoulder. The impact sent a sharp jolt through her arm, nearly dislocating it as she was struck back down.
"Too slow." He taunted.
Maki gritted her teeth, ignoring the sting in her joints. She placed her palms onto the ground and pushed off, twisting her body into a low sweep meant to knock him off his feet.
Naoya leapt over it with ease.
The moment he landed, his leg shot out, slamming into her stomach.
The breath was ripped from her lungs.
The force sent her skidding across the ground, her back slamming against the stone wall enclosing the courtyard. A sharp pain shot through her ribs. She coughed, struggling to pull air back into her lungs, her vision blurring for a split second.
Naoya sighed, rolling his shoulders as if he had just finished some light exercise. "Is that really all you've got?"
Maki didn't answer.
She pressed a hand to the ground, forcing herself up, her arms shaking slightly. She could feel the bruises forming already, but she didn't stop. She couldn't.
Naoya watched her struggle with an almost bored expression. "You don't get it, do you?"
He stepped forward, his tone slow, condescending. "You can't win. You never could. Why can't you get it in your stupid head?"
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Makima said, her expression remained unreadable as always. "She's stubborn, I'll give her that."
Naoya scoffed, barely sparing Makima a glance. He hadn't noticed her until after she spoke those words. But seeing her and the black knight beside her didn't take any action, Naoya decided to leave it be. As long as they didn't interfere, he could turn a blind eye to them.
"Stubbornness doesn't mean a damn thing when you're trash." He shot her a glare, but Makima only smiled, a quiet, knowing curve of her lips curled up in amusement.
Maki lifted her head, meeting his gaze. Then, without a word, she raised her fists again.
For the briefest moment, Naoya's smirk faltered. Though it twisted into something cruel.
"Fine." He muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see how much more of a beating you can take."
His fist shot forward, aiming for her jaw, but this time, Maki managed to dodge it, albeit barely.
She twisted to the side at the last moment, feeling the rush of air as his strike barely grazed her cheek. Using the momentum, she brought up her elbow, aiming to drive it straight into his ribs.
But Naoya was faster. With an almost lazy motion, Naoya blocked her arm and drove his knee into her stomach.
The impact was brutal for her small frame, forcing the air from her lungs alongside some blood.
She barely had time to stagger before he followed up, yanking her forward, spinning her over his shoulder, and slamming her face-first into the dirt.
BOOMM!!
The courtyard went silent.
As the dust settled down, Maki remained on the ground, her breath harsh, ragged. Blood dripped from a fresh scrape on her cheek where she had hit the stone.
Naoya released her without a second thought, brushing off his sleeves as if he had just handled something filthy. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"
Maki gritted her teeth, her fingers curling against the dirt. Slowly, she pushed herself up again. Her body screamed at her to stop, her vision swimming for just a moment. But she ignored it.
She got to her knees. Then, one foot planted firmly on the ground.
Naoya clicked his tongue. "Seriously?"
He stepped closer, looming over her. "You really think getting up over and over makes you strong? That is not how it works."
Maki didn't answer.
She wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. Her unwavering gaze locked with his, burning with quiet defiance.
Naoya frowned.
For the first time, there was something in his expression that wasn't just amusement or arrogance.
It was annoyance.
He didn't like that look in her eyes. A woman should just do what a woman is supposed to do.
With a sharp exhale, he grabbed her by the collar of her uniform, yanking her up so their faces were inches apart. "You're just embarrassing yourself."
He sneered. "You're nothing. And no matter how hard you fight, that's all you'll ever be."
What followed was nothing short of a one-sided beating. Maki, drained and battered, could do little to fight back.
Only when Naoya had his fill did he finally release her, like a discarded, broken doll.
Thud—
Maki barely caught herself before she could collapse again.
Naoya scoffed and turned on his heel, wiping away the traces of Maki's blood that had splattered onto his face during the beating as if he'd just dealt with something unworthy of his time.
"Do yourself a favor and stay down next time."
And with that, he walked away, leaving Maki's battered body in the lone training ground.
Maki remained where she was, her body trembling from exhaustion and frustration. But something deeper buried inside her still remained, the burning rage of her own self.
She could barely feel her limbs anymore, but she refused to show weakness. She refused to lose to that fucker.
An indomitable will that caught someone's gaze.
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Makima, observing from the sidelines, finally let a small, amused smile tug at her lips. "I like her."
"She reminds me of myself, not gonna lie." Veilhem chuckled, though a hint of sympathy flickered in his eyes. If the girl had managed to catch Makima's attention, then she was in for a world of trouble.
"Oh? How so?" Makima turned her gaze toward him, but he was still watching Maki, his expression unreadable.
"Both are failures and hard heads." He said.
Makima raised an eyebrow. "That's a rather harsh way to put it."
Veilhem's smirk was faint, almost bitter. "Hard to deny it, but it's the truth."
"But because we are such failures, we can keep coming back each time. It's the reason we keep going, even when we know it's all in vain." He gestured slightly toward Maki, who was still trying to steady herself.
"And when everyone else has fallen, it's failures like us who get called upon as the last resort." A quiet chuckle escaped him, laced with something almost bitter.
"Funny, isn't it?" He added at the end, almost sounding like he was mocking himself.
Makima turned to him at last. "You sound depressed."
"Well, maybe I am." Veilhem's voice was quieter now. "They don't see the ones who crawl back up, the ones who keep going even when everything tells them to stay down."
Makima suddenly pulled him in for a hug, though her expression remained cold and detached as ever.
"I read somewhere that a hug can help cure depression." She said softly. "Is it working?"
Veilhem stared at her. The disconnect between her words and actions left him speechless. With a quiet sigh, he tried to remove her arms—keyword: tried.
Because she didn't let go.
Instead, she clung to him tighter, like a stubborn koala, a faintly smug smile curling at her lips. She was clearly enjoying every second of it, and it slowly got to his nerves.
It was a way of peeling him layer by layer to reach into his thoughts. And truthfully, he was too tired of playing this game, so he let her do as she pleased.
"I can't get enough of your scent." Makima said as she placed her chin on his shoulder, her head gently nestling against him.
"Are you a pervert?" Veilhem deadpanned at her words.
"What if I am?" Her smug widened, unbothered by his genuine question.
He coughed awkwardly, completely taken off guard by her sudden confirmation. He chose to ignore the little Devil clinging to him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I was but a vessel of the flame. I was burned down to the ashes, but look, here I am. It still brought me back even when all of those powerful Lords had fallen from grace. Such a cursed fate for a cursed world."
Makima studied him for a moment before glancing back at Maki, who was finally forcing herself to stand again, even as her body swayed with fatigue.
"So do you think the little girl is one of those?" Makima finally released him from her hug. Though she was a little reluctant.
Veilhem watched the burning fire in Maki's eyes, the way she locked her gaze onto Naoya's retreating figure, not with fear, but with something unshaken.
"Maybe." He said simply. "Or maybe she'll burn out before she gets there."
He exhaled, crossing his arms. "You already read my memories, so you should know what I meant."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was Maki's heavy breathing, the rustle of leaves in the courtyard, the distant footsteps of Naoya walking away as if none of it had mattered.
Then, Veilhem smirked. "She'll figure it out. Or she won't. Either way… it'll be interesting to see which one she'd turn out."
Makima chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "You always had a strange way of seeing things, but I suppose that's what makes it more interesting."
Veilhem began to walk away while Makima's gaze shifted to the little girl in the middle of the courtyard. Her expression was a mix of curiosity and something deeper hidden behind her calm facade.
Expectation.
After a moment, she turned and trotted to Veilhem, the two of them continuing their stroll in silence, their conversation leaving behind like it had never happened in the first place.
Though it seemed like they were forgetting something, as Maki didn't have enough strength to stand, let alone carry herself for treatment. She looked at the retreating figures of Makima and Veilhem at the corner of her eyes and couldn't help but curse at them.
"They really have no heart." Maki muttered in frustration.
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(A/N: You know what to do, leave the stones and reviews behind or else... oh, and I'm not asking you, this is a robbery.)